


Open Invitations

by QDS



Category: Inglourious Basterds
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-19
Updated: 2009-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-07 09:22:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/63717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QDS/pseuds/QDS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Operation Kino went as it was meant to? Who would be invited for the official congratulations? And just how does Aldo Raine manage in such situations?</p><p>Written for <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/assassin_nariel/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/assassin_nariel/"><b>assassin_nariel</b></a> for the Secret Hanukkah gift exchange on <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/100_scalps/profile"><img/></a><a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/100_scalps/"><b>100_scalps</b></a>. Happy Hanukkah!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Open Invitations

They emerged from the dining room of the Savoy, and Raine jerked away from Archie's grasp.

"It wasn't as if I was actually gonna--"

"Lieutenant, that's enough."

Raine shook his head, stumbling forward and ignoring what Archie had said. "I was just sayin'--shit!"

Archie reached out, and just in time, he caught Raine before he hit the floor. The hotel staff eyed them with a warning look across the lobby, and Archie tried to simultaneously pull Raine upright, give the staff a reassuring 'he's-just-a-little-inebriated-he'll-be-fine-now' grin, and walk Raine over to the elevator (he did not fancy dragging the man up the stairs even though he was only on the first floor).

"You've really said quite enough, Lieutenant Raine." Archie voice was firm. "And you've drunk quite enough too, I might add."

"Aw, quit all that 'left-tenant' stuff! There ain't even an 'f' in it! Come on, just call me Aldo."

Archie grinned at that. "You have a point about the intricacies of the English language, Lieu...Aldo."

They were at the elevator. Archie nodded at the operator to open the door for them, who did so, clearly unimpressed as Archie hefted Rai....Aldo through the elevator doorway. Archie tried to prop Aldo against the cage-like walls, but Aldo flopped towards Archie a bit more, forcing Archie against the wall to keep both of them upright.

As the doors closed, Aldo snorted. "It ain't an 'intricacy' – it's just plain dumb."

Archie shook his head and laughed, despite Aldo's clear enjoyment of wallowing in his own ignorance.

"Perhaps you're right, perhaps you're right."

The elevator came to shuddering stop. Aldo swayed a little, coming around to half face Archie whilst still clinging on to him. Archie cocked his head, bemused at the situation.

"Ya know I'm right, Archie old boy." And he winked.

As the door opened, Archie swallowed, and as he dragged Aldo out the door, tried to ignore the warm feeling that it created in his stomach.

*

The dining room of the Savoy was elegantly fitted out with England's colours; the Union Jack and St George's cross were draped proudly about the place. Above the front table, of course, the American flag was hung along side. An allied victory it was, after all.

The mood was one of subdued jubilation. Officers and their wives chatted happily, their smiles exuding just the right amount of joy. Celebratory, but not over the top. It seemed to be infectious, as even the American officers, ones he knew to be particularly boisterous, matched it completely. It was, Archie thought, terribly English, and for that, he couldn't be prouder.

So when Archie heard whispers that Lieutenant Raine was about to enter the room, Archie half braced himself for impact. Raine was something of a verbal typhoon, who spoke with his arms as much as his mouth. Terribly entertaining, but sometimes needed to be....well, _reigned_ in. Archie kept his eye on the door, for Raine's arrival was now doubt going to be explosive. Amusing, but explosive.

There were other reasons that Archie didn't want Raine's arrival take him by surprise, but he quickly suppressed those concerns.

"Lieutenant Hicox."

Archie almost dropped his drink at the sound of the Southern twang. He spun around to see Raine standing their in his neatly pressed, impeccably done up uniform (except for a misplaced lower button, but it added character) and freshest, sharpest haircut he'd ever seen on the man. It would have been perfect...but Raine's shoulders looked as if a giant were standing on them, and he looked about the room with an expression both suspicious and tired.

"Lieutenent Raine, good evening." They shook hands, with none of the usual vigour he'd come to associate with Raine. "Do you have a drink?"

As Archie beckoned for a waiter, he kept one eye on Raine, who'd quickly shoved his hands back into his pockets. Very odd. But Archie thought it best not to comment, and so pretended he hadn't noticed.

"How are you this evening?"

The only response he got was a shrug, and Raine's eye kept moving across the room.

The waiter arrived. Raine picked up a glass of champagne from the tray, and swallowed it all in one gulp. Archie blinked, and found himself doing the same thing himself, more out of surprise than anything else.

Now the question really had to be asked. "Is everything ok, Lieutenant Raine?"

Raine quickly picked up another glass, but this time didn't drink it straight away. Instead, he at last spoke. "Right fancy it is tonight, ain't it?"

Archie smiled gently at the apparent naivety of the statement. "It is a congratulatory dinner, Lieutenant Raine. A celebration of victory."

"That it is, I guess..." Raine swirled the champagne around in his glass, looking at it rather than Archie's face. "I just...I dunno." Another shrug. "I'm just not used to these fancy gatherin's, ya know what I mean? Well, I suppose ya don't, bein' from here and all, but for me..." A big gulp of the champagne, and glass was almost finished again.

"It's quite all right, Lieutenant Raine. I understand what you mean," Archie said, feeling a little bad for his more uncharitable thoughts about the man only minutes ago. "But I think you'll fit in just fine, really I do. I am very sure there are plenty of people very keen to hear more about the adventures of the basterds."

Raine raised his eyebrows at that.

"Oh would they, now? Well, that's just fine and dandy, let's see if I can ask my men to supply some of those stories...now where are they?" Raine dramatically looked behind him, hand to eyes as if looking out to sea, then he turned back in mock surprise. "Oh wait, that's right!"

And he was suddenly serious again. "They weren't invited."

Archie had unfortunately been made aware of that fact only upon his arrival. He quietly asked why exactly, and was given some flimsy excuse. It had irritated him, but he didn't really want to be showing disloyalty to his military and governments decision just yet.

He tried for the tactful approach. "I think this evening is meant for officers only--"

"Ms von Hammersmark, good evening!"

The rich laughter of the German actress echoed passed them as she approached the Captain who had called out to her. Both Archie and Raine followed her figure as she kissed the Captain in greeting and shook hands with his wife. 'Big fans, big fans!' they both said.

Raine snorted very quietly, and he leaned in a little close to Archie. "Ya were sayin', Hicox?"

Archie turned away for a moment, pursing his lips, and now feeling more than a little embarrassed by the finery around them.

*

Aldo was no help when it came to finding his room key. He simply waved his hand in the general area of his torso, meaning that Archie had to hunt for it when he found it wasn't in his pockets. A task that Archie hated, because it was one he was not meant to enjoy. He wasn't meant to like brushing over and patting parts of Aldo's body. He certainly wasn't meant to be thinking about what that body would look look with fewer clothes.

"Having a good feel there, Hicox?"

"Oh, be quiet!" Archie hissed, fishing out the key, and opening the door with utter relief.

*

They were moved towards their seats for the meal. Archie smiled when he saw Ms von Hammersmark sit down across from them. It would be nice to talk to her about her work in a far less tense situation

„Guten Abend, Fräulein von Hammersmark."

She looked up at him, her face sparkling. „Guten Abend Lieutenant Hicox. Wie geht es Ihnen?"

Archie was just about to answer, when he remembered Raine sitting next to him. He indicate to her with a brief flick of his eyes.

„Fräulein--"

She shook her head. „Kein Problem!" Then she spoke in Raine's direction. "We'll speak English, it is after all the language of the victor."

She raised her glass to Raine, whom to Archie's pleasure actually looked gracious as he did the same.

"And right ya are, Fräulein. Here's to victory."

Archie couldn't help it; as the pair clinked glasses, he winced at the too-strong 'oy' sound in Raine's attempt at the German word.

The three chatted for a little. The topics were nothing substantial; what rooms Ms von Hammersmark and Raine had in the hotel, the decorations in the room. Raine was still less himself, but he seemed to be easing into the situation. Then Ms von Hammersmark's attention was directed to the Colonel next to her, at which point Archie felt Raine give him a small nudge.

"Urm, Lieutenant Hicox?" His voice was a whisper.

Archie respond in a similar _sotto voce_. "Yes, Lieutenant Raine?"

"Ya see, the thin' is...well...as I said before I ain't used to this kind of fine dinin'."

Raine swept his hand over the top of the several layers of bowls and plates and the neatly lined silver ware.

"I mean...I know they ain't going to serve us no 'escargot' like they did in Paris where we had that fancy clipper thing to use, but I don't wanna look like a right fool by cuttin' my steak with a butter knife, if ya get my drift."

Archie felt a definite twinge of sympathy for the man. He wondered if indeed being behind enemies lines would have been preferable to an official event such as this. He laid a reassuring hand on Raine's arm. Innocently meant, of course. No one could read anything into that.

"Perfectly. Well, there is a logic to it. Start from the outside with the cutlery, and the first course goes on the top place, and so on. The waiters will take everything away as you are done with it, so you won't be tempted to use them...inappropriately shall we say."

"So it's like kind like peelin' an onion, then? Layers and all? Start on the outside and work your way in?"

Archie put the back of his fingers to his lips to suppress his grin at the analogy. "Something like that, yes."

"Swell. Peelin' an onion I can do." Satisfied, Raine leaned back in his chair, finishing what was probably his fourth glass of champagne already.

Waiters appeared at the head of the table, a large bowl of soup and a ladle in their hands. As they began spooning the contents into the bowls, Raine once again leaned towards Archie, and he whispered, "Actually, you eat differently from us, too."

That bemused Archie, as he pictured some unusual sort of chewing (ok, that perhaps did apply to Raine) that was peculiarly American. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I like to cut up my meat, put the knife down, and then eat it with my fork in my right hand, but I've watched you English, and you just cut it and shove that piece right into it."

Archie raised an eyebrow.

Raine hastily added, "All classy, of course, like ya English all are."

"That shouldn't be a problem, Lieutenant Raine. They do know you are American, after all. Eat as you would at home, and no one will think less of you."

The waiters arrived and their spot and spooned soup into their bowls. When they had moved on, Archie picked up his own spoon, keeping one surreptitious eye on Raine, who was watching very carefully. Raine picked up the same spoon, and Archie gently nodded, encouragingly. He saw Raine smile, almost boyishly, pleased that he'd gotten it right. He even copied the way Archie dipped his spoon into the soup. Archie thought it was actually rather adorable.

The effect, however, was immediately ruined by Raine's very loud slurp.

*

Archie had only wanted to get Aldo on the bed, that was all. Aldo flopped backwards onto it, where he lay for a few moments, before he seemed to re-orientate himself, and sat back up, sliding towards the edge of the bed.

"Do you think you'll be ok, Aldo?"

Aldo nodded. "Just fine, Hicox, just fine."

But as he started to leave, Archie found that watching the man try to get his shoes off, and fail miserably at it, was rather pitiful.

"Um, let me get that, Aldo."

He laid one hand on Aldo's leg and crouched to pull his shoes off.

"Ya're too kind, Hicox, ya're far too kind."

Archie stood up, and once again, turned to go. But then Aldo tried his jacket, and only succeeded in falling backwards again, and Archie sighed.

"Do you need more assistance, Aldo?"

Aldo propped himself up on one elbow, and he made a rather sheepish expression.

"If ya don't mind..."

There were many phrases Archie could use for the act of undressing Aldo Raine. As each layer was pealed back, revealing more of his rather well defined body and spaces of surprisingly smooth-looking skin, 'don't mind' was really not one of them.

Still, he wasn't exactly sure if he was being punished...or being granted a gift.

*

Liquor was ever the social lubricant, and it was as Archie had hoped; despite some of his more idiosyncratic eating habits (albeit with the right utensils; he'd kept discretely checking on Archie as the night went on) Raine had managed to keep those around them very entertained.

Suddenly, Archie felt himself pulled in Raine's direction.

"We were just damned fortunate to have this man on our side." Raine, in the midst of telling his story, had swung his arm around Archie for emphasis. Almost instinctively, Archie leaned a little close to Raine's. There was an easy comfort to his body, a steadiness and a strength that made Archie feel just a little excited. That thought, though, suddenly made him tense up, and hope that Raine would let him go very quickly.

"Can you imagine if any of them had been killed in that blasted cellar? Me and Donny and the rest would have had to gone done something crazy...like our best I-talian! Now that woulda almost been funny! I mean, ar-ree-vee-day-chi!"

Across the table, Bridget was the first one to laugh. She was quickly joined by the rest of the table, as did Archie, but he felt the laughter tense in his chest as Raine just didn't seem to want to let go of him.

*

Even though Aldo said he would be fine, and that once undressed he had fallen asleep immediately, there was something about his breathing that troubled Archie. So he stayed. And ignored the warning bells in his head that it was a bad idea to do so.

As he sat on the edge of Aldo's bed, contemplating lighting a cigarette, Archie wondered if his now all too undeniable attraction to the American was just another facet of his...perversity. They had nothing in common except an enemy (or was it everything in common nowadays except language...Archie suppressed a snorted. That Wilde should come to mind was ridiculously appropriate), and even the enemy was now gone. No, outside of the war, they would have run in different circles, eaten different food, watched different films...for goodness sake, the width of the Atlantic seemed a tiny gap compared to the social and cultural chasm that separated them.

Archie tried to tell himself that a powerful body, an easy, charming grin, and a confident manner were not good reasons to want to bed someone. Especially if it could get you arrested and imprisoned for a long time. But there it was.

He supposed one couldn't be arrested if it all stayed in one's head. And that's just where it was going to stay. All in his head.

"Ya still there, Hicox?"

"I am, Aldo."

Archie felt the bed shift, and Aldo move about behind him. Then his body stiffened. Aldo had leaned against his back, rested his chin on Archie's shoulder, and was now sliding his arms under Archie's, around his body.

"Aldo, what--"

Aldo threaded his hands together, right in the centre of Archie's chest. "You're warm."

It was such an innocent statement that Archie giggled, but it came out as horribly nervous.

They sat like that in silence for a long time, Archie feeling Aldo's chest rise and fall with his breathing. It was only when Archie shifted, trying to move away, that Aldo spoke again.

"Ya know, you and von Hammersmark, and don't get me wrong, without ya we wouldn't have gotten through the Operation, ya both were fantastic, but it wasn't all your doin', and it sure as shit wasn't all my doin', either. My men deserved a place there tonight, and ya know it."

Archie put his hand over the top of Aldo's, and squeezed them. He wasn't sure if it was to comfort Aldo, or to give his own slowly upturning world some balance. Because this surely wasn't happening.

"Yes." He nodded for emphasis. "Yes, I know they did."

"And you know it ain't just 'cos they're not officers."

Archie swallowed, and he felt the shame wash the whole way down his body. They might have fought a war for freedom...but old prejudices died hard.

"I'm sorry, Aldo."

"Yeah. I know..."

The kiss to his cheek was completely unexpected. Archie's breath hitched, and he was torn between bolting for the door and throwing himself at the man to ravish him completely.

"Aldo--"

"I just wanted one of you English to say it."

Archie turned his head slightly, feeling Aldo's breath on his cheek. As he thought about whether to close the distance between them, Aldo made the decision for him.

*

"Everyone is indebted to what you and your men accomplished, Lieutenant Raine."

It was the Colonel across the table from Raine who said it. A uptight, patronising prig he was too, Archie knew full well. He made sure the Colonel wasn't looking when he rolled his eyes.

"Why thank you, sir." Raine picked up his napkin, roughly wiping dessert away from his mouth. "I'm very proud of what my men did for good of all free nations, and it seems just a damn shame that they weren't invited here tonight."

Archie looked at Raine's champagne glass. Archie himself wasn't that drunk, but he was sure that Raine had had far too many already. His glance swiveled up to Raine's face. Oh dear...

"Well," the Colonel made a hand gesture that was both conciliatory and dismissive. "They are being congratulated in their own way--"

"Ya sayin' this place ain't good enough for 'em?" Raine picked up the dessert fork again, and began flicking it between his fingers. He leaned forward on the table with his elbows, and raised his eyebrows at the Colonel. Archie leaned forward himself, eyes rapidly switching between the Colonel's face and Raine's.

"Oh, not at all, Lieutenant," the Colonel demurred. "Not at all."

Archie exhaled, and hoped that would be the end of it.

The Colonel's wife, however, sitting next to him, then said, "I have to say that I was quite startled when I heard about what you did to the Nazi, but it is quite...ingenious in some ways."

Raine flicked on his most charming smile. "You don't say, ma'am." It made her blush, but Archie knew it for the more dangerous side of Aldo's smiles. He looked across as Ms von Hammersmark, but she hadn't seemed to notice. Archie realised one hand was gripping the edge of the table.

"I just wonder how you manage to do it. To scalp someone, I mean."

Raine flipped the fork around, and Archie recognised it as the way he held weapon. "Well, they same demonstratin' the best way to learn. I mean I don't got my bowie knife with me, but this here dessert fork would serve just fine on that head of your husbands!"

"Lieutenant!"

Raine lunged across the table for the Colonel, and managed to grab a fist full of his hair before Archie pulled him back. He managed (he wasn't quite sure how) to knock the dessert fork from Raine's hand, and decided then and there he better get Raine out of there.

As he started to drag Raine away from the terrified Colonel, his now blubbering wife and a mortified Ms von Hammersmark, the whole dining room seemed to turn and watch them as Archie tried to get Raine to the door.

And Raine certainly wasn't finished yet.

"My men took out more Nazi single-handedly than half these guys saw when the fighin' was goin' on! Why aren't they here being congratulated too? Why the hell aren't my men here? Why the hell not, sir!"

The last word came out like he was swearing, and reverberated across the dining room.

His inbuilt British reserve didn't let him echo Raine's words vocally, but Archie shot a look across the room that he hoped conveyed he agreed with the man completely.

*

Strangely, Aldo was much more adept at undressing Archie than he had been at getting his own clothes off. And his lips were very tender on Archie's neck and mouth once they were both naked, and his legs were strong and muscular, and Archie adored clutching at his thighs to pull the larger man on top of him.

Archie let his hand drop between Aldo's legs. Aldo's mouth opened with a moan in response, which pleased Archie immensely. He was then rewarded with a similar and even more pleasing movement from Aldo. Oh Christ, the man did have good hands.

"God, Hicox..."

Archie chuckled. "You have your hand wrapped around my intimate parts, Aldo. It's Archie, please."

Aldo giggled. "Intimate parts. That's kinda cute..." He ran a finger down Archie's nose. "Kinda like you, Archie. Cute."

That made Archie blush a little. "Likewise, Aldo, likewise. Now, do you think we could have less talking and more..."

He didn't have to finish his sentence as Aldo kissed him, and Archie felt himself surrender to Aldo's touch.


End file.
